Attaching means for removable dental bridges



Sept. 24, 1935. E. F. MEIER 2,015,644

ATTACHING MEANS FOR REMOVABLE DENTAL BRIDGES Filed Feb. 23, 1953 Patented Sept. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ATTACHING MEANS FOR REMOVABLE DENTAL BRIDGES 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to an attachment for detachably connecting bridges or individual teeth to the natural teeth.

In the attaching devices heretofore used for 5 the purpose of detachably securing bridges and teeth to the natural teeth allowance has been made for the movement of the artificial tooth or teeth in one direction only; that is, in a vertical direction necessary to attach and detach the artificial tooth, teeth or bridge. In the present device there is provision for this vertical movement of the artificial tooth, teeth or bridge inrelation to the natural teeth, but the present W device also allows for slight lateral movement.

In bi-l'ateral cases there is a tendency to create a pull on the natural teeth on one side when the opposite side of the artificial structure is in occlusion or when a bolus of food is in the process of mastication. In the present device there may be just enough lateral movement of the artificial tooth or teeth to relieve this stress.

The present device makes the artificial structure more nearly self-adjusting than in previous devices of this character. There is also better contact between the attaching members at all times, including such times as the attachment is subjected to biting stresses.

The present attachment more positivelysecures the artificial structure and prevents it from falling out.

In former devices when adjustments were necessary, the female member of the attachment became distorted, whereas in the present device this is avoided. In the present case thinner material may be used for the female member of the attachment because the bearing stresses are present at the ends of the female member, which are reinforced by the inlay material when in place.

In former attachments the metal of the female member at each side of the vertical slot was weak and was subject to an outward bending action which permanently distorted this memher.

As the present attachment may be made of thinner material the amount of the tooth structure removed toreceive the attachment within the contour of the teethmay be less than heretofore, which is a decided advantage.

In previous attachments the male member was split in one form or another and when the parts of the attachment become too loose to hold together securely the male member was opened up or spread by separating the portions on opposite 5 sides of the split and thus caused distortion of the female member. The present device permits the stresses to act on the embedded or reinforced portions of the female member so that the parts may be made thinner and yet be stronger than in previous attaching devices. Other 5 advantages will be set forth in the following description of my invention.

In the drawing forming part of this application,

Figure 1 is a. perspective view showing some 6* Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 5- 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the artificial tooth and its saddle, and showing the male members of the attachment on the tooth,

Figure 5 is an end view of the head end of one of the male attaching members, I

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the attaching members, showing the male member being inserted into the female member, and

Figure 7 is a perspective viewshowing the male 5- member in its final position.

In Figures 1 and 2 I have shown part ofthe natural gum and palate I of the mouth, and at 2 I have shown some of the natural teeth in their usual positions. Between the natural teeth 0'" there is a blank space 3 caused by the extraction of a tooth; and this is to be filled by the artificial tooth 4 having the new attaching means.

It will be understood that the applied dental 5 structure may have one or any number of artificial teeth and the structure may be what is called aremovable bridge carrying various-artificial teeth; but I have chosen to represent a single tooth supplied with the attaching device 40- forming the subject of my invention, and from this it will be obvious that the attaching device may be applied to any removable dental structure.

The artificial tooth 4 is shown as having one 45 of the male attaching members at each side of the tooth, both of which members are alike but face in opposite directions.

The backing or supporting member 5 of each male attaching device is embedded in themetal 5'0 inlay 6 in the artificial tooth so' that only the head of the male member protrudes from the artificial tooth and a very small portion of the supporti, enough to allow the head to stand away from the artificial tooth. The support 5' and the the oval portions Hi to form solid backing therefor.

" the male member has been flat or at right angles rigid portion 1 or head of the male member are preferably integral and are formed in T shape.

There is a U shaped member or bow 8 which may be made integral with the cross member I of the male member but preferably it is a separate piece of round and resilient wire attached at the loop portion 9 to the cross. member I as by soldering, so that the U shaped member becomes permanently attached to the cross head member I if made separately.

The arms Ill of this resilient member normally stand away from the ends of the cross head, I, or at least the upper ends of these arms do, as shown in Figure 5, to allow these arms to be bent somewhat laterally or toward the ends of the head 1.

The female member of the attachment is very similar to the female members heretofore used. It consists of a plate 1 I bent to form a front wall [2 and a rear wall l3 parallel thereto, with loops or oval portions M connecting the front and rear walls. There is generally a bottom or end wall 15 for closing one end of the pocket I6 and this may be made of a separate piece from the plate II and soldered in place as shown in Figure 6.

The front wall I2 is provided with a vertical slot I! to permit the portion 5 of the male member to move vertically therein.

The front wall I2 at each side of the slot ll indicated at l9 has generally taken the strain of the attachment, the strain acting to move these portions outwardly and this has been the weak feature of former devices.

The natural teeth at opposite sides of the removable dental structure will be provided each with an inlay 20 on the side of the teeth facing the removable structure; and the female members of the attachment are embedded in these inlays so that they are permanently attached to the natural teeth as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. Part of the inlay metal may extend more or less around It will be noted that the bottom 2| of the male member or the portion which first enters the female member is rounded, which is a feature of my invention. Heretofore, this portion of to the head of the male member, leaving two rather sharp corners which, if the structure were not held in perfect alignment with the pocket of the remale member when being inserted, would cut the inner surface of the female member.

In the present structure it is very easy to initially start the male member sliding into the pocket [6 and. there are no sharp corners to cut into the inner surface of the female members as the male member slides therein.

Operation.-The natural teeth 22 at each side of the blank space 3 will be supplied with the inlay 20 in which are embedded the female members as shown in Figure 1, the front walls l2 having the slots l'l facing the removable dental structure. The latter, which in the illustrated embodiment comprises an artificial tooth 4, has male attaching members on opposite sides, as shown.

The artificial tooth is preferably supplied with a small saddle 23 which fits and bears against a portion of the gum or palate or both, to steady the tooth and to form a bearing for it.

To attach the removable dental structure the latter is presented so that the heads of the male members are in line with the pockets I6 of the female members and the removable device is then moved vertically.

The lower, curved ends 2! of the heads of the male members will first enter the pockets [6 of the female members, as shown in Figure 6, the supporting member 5 of the male member entering the open end of the slot ll. Theremovable structure is then moved vertically, up or down,

according to whether it is attached in the upper or lower jaw.

The head of each male member will continue to move into a pocket it of a female member, and the member 5 will continue to move in the slot l'l until the head strikes the bottom wall 15 at which time the saddle 23, if one is used, will seat against the gum or palate.

As the heads of the male members are thus sliding into place the free ends [0 of the resilient arms are gradually forced inwardly because they were normally divergent. There is therefore a tension placed on the free ends H! of the arms 8 when they are pressed inwardly at the time the removable structure is in its final attached position as shown in Figure 1 and 7.

If the free, ends of the resilient arms are not jammed against the ends 24 of the solid portions of the heads l there will be some play as between these parts. The male member can therefore move laterally to a slight extent for the purposes set forth above. But any lateral movement is resiliently resisted, due tothe resilience of the arms.

When the removable structure is in operative position, any lateral strain on the attaching members will not cause the metal I9 at the sides of the slot H to be sprung outwardly and thus distort the female member. The lateral stresses will be exerted on the arms ID at each end of the female member, so that the stresses on the female member are applied to the ovals which, even if made thinner than in previous devices may resist these stresses without any permanent distortion of the female member, especially if these oval portions are embedded in the metal of the inlays, as shown 40 for the patient to even return to the dentist for making an adjustment. It is only necessary for the patient to remove the structure from the mouth and then with a knife or other instrument inserted between the free ends 10 of the resilient arms and the ends 24 of the heads 7, the resilient arms may be permanently spread slightly. When the structure is returned to place, the free ends it) will, having been spread, press into the ovals with greater pressure, and they will again hold efiiciently.

This adjustment may also be made when, through long usage, there is some wear on the outer sides of the arms It! or the inner surfaces of the ovals.

It will be apparent that the male member,

though normally resistably urged to center in the pocket l6, may move laterally slightly, ,as when occlusion takes place and this relieves the stresses on the natural teeth.

. 1. An attaching device for removable dental structures, including a female member having an elongated pocket and having a slot in one of the side walls in which a portion of a male member 5" Having described my invention, what I claim may move, and a male member including an anchoring portion, a cross head thereon, having an arcuate entering end and a U-shaped member of circular cross section having its loop portion only attached to the bottom or entering end of said cross head and the arms of said U-shaped member extending upwardly adjacent the opposite ends of said cross head, said arms being resilient and adapted to engage the end walls of said pocket of the female member to frictionally hold the male and female members for the purpose of removably retaining the dental structure.

2. An attaching device for removable dental structures, including a female member having an elongated pocket with opposite rounded edge portions, a slot in one of the side walls of said member in which a portion of a male member may move and a male member including an anchoring portion and a cross-head thereon, an arcuate entering end on said male member, and a resilient member having two arms and an arcuate connectthe arms are free for movement with respect to 5 said male member, whereby stresses at the point of juncture due to the movement of said arms with respect to the anchoring portion are reduced.

3. In an attaching device for removable dental structures including a male and female member, 10

said male member having an anchoring portion with a tapered entering end, a resilient member comprising two arms and a connecting member therebetween, said connecting member being joined to said entering end so that the arms and 15 portions of the connecting member adjacent said arms are free for movement with respect to said anchoring portion, whereby stresses at the point of juncture due to said movement are reduced.

EUGENE F. MEIER. 

